Experts gathered at the Arizona Science Center in Phoenix to discuss the possibility of a massive water shortage as a result of record high temperatures in the state.
The Center for Nanotechnology in Society at ASU held the public discussion on Friday. The discussion was titled “Will Arizona’s Climate Change Leave Us Thirsty?” and included speeches from ASU research professors Nancy Selover and Ray Quay.
“Man-made and natural materials in Arizona are so dense that heat from the baking sun is very slow to leave,” Selover said. “And the problem is our nights aren’t long enough so we’re not able to cool down.”
Selover said Arizona currently uses water and electricity for cooling, but electricity uses water to regenerate, causing much of the state’s water loss.
“One way or another, it is still too much of a strain on our water system,” she said. “The conservation of water is definitely a problem and we need to anticipate a way to resolve it.”
About 200 gallons of water are used per person per day, Quay said. He added that the decline in water used for the agriculture industry can be switched over for urban uses.
“However, if we continue our current lifestyles, we may have enough water to meet current agricultural conditions but not enough to accommodate growth,” Quay said.
Quay and Selover sought to address how we can change our lifestyle by using less water.
“If we make bad decisions there is a chance we will end up thirsty by not having enough water,” Quay said.
ASU biological sciences student and Phoenix resident Seiga Yanagisawa said the discussion made him think about the large garden in his backyard that requires a lot of water.
“If we don’t have enough water and if the city makes changes by forcing people to use less water, it will affect my life heavily,” Yanagisawa said.
A number of factors, including population growth and climate change, must be taken into account when trying to find a solution, according to the professors.
“Right now some of the best estimates of what might happen are we can come out of these economic downturns in about 4 years,” Quay said. “And that makes a big difference in terms of determining whether we’ll have enough water to meet our demands.”
Contact the reporter at caitlin.hale@asu.edu
